November 2018 Dispatch

Ice Age Trail AllianceChippewa Moraine Chapter

Ice Age Trail Dispatch

November 2018

Regional Rally at Obey Center, Saturday, Nov. 3 at 9 a.m.

Have you signed up for the Regional Rally yet? This annual end of the year event is being held this Saturday at the Obey Center near New Auburn this year, so it’s a great opportunity to attend and pick up a duff-bucket-full of information about how other chapter’s are addressing common problems as well as the latest from IATA-Central on what’s happening trail-wide.

The rally is from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 3, and will include lunch. That’s why you should sign up if you haven’t already. Just go to here and get it all done there. It is pretty painless.

We look forward to your participation on Saturday.

Chapter Annual Meeting Coming Up on Monday, Nov. 19 at 6:30 p.m.

Another end-of-season activity, like counting tools and adding stabilizer to the gas in the machines, is our annual chapter meeting. We have a long agenda of business items, from electing officers, adopting a budget, etc. to reports to the members on what’s happened this year and what’s planned for next year. Many of those involve your participation so we can get your honest feedback on what works and doesn’t, and what you’d like to see and do next year.

So don’t let the title dissuade you. Plan to attend the meeting on Monday, Nov. 19 at 6:30 p.m. at the Chippewa Falls Public Library in Chippewa Falls. Help get the show on the road for 2019.

New Trail Section Detour

No sooner have we reopened the last of our detoured trail segments this year, when a new section has been detoured. There is a temporary detour on the trail between Firth Lake and Hwy CC. The detour will be in place for the balance of this fall. For now, either skip that section, or if through-hiking, we have published a detour.

The detour is pretty straightforward:

Eastbound: At Firth Lake, head north on a short spur 0.1 mile to the parking area, and out the drive to 250th Ave; then head west on 250th Ave 2 miles to Hwy CC; then south on Hwy CC 1.25 mile to the Ice Age Trail Parking Area, and rejoin the Chippewa River Segment southbound to Hwy Z.

Westbound: At the end of the Chippewa River Segment (the Ice Age Trail Parking area on Hwy CC) turn right on Hwy CC; proceed north on CC 1.25 mile to 250th Ave (the second gravel road on your left); follow 250th Ave 2 miles to the Ice Age Trail sign that marks the entrance to Firth Lake parking area and follow the drive to the parking area; proceed south on the spur trail from the parking area 0.1 mile to the main Ice Age Trail and turn west to rejoin the trail.

The trail is actually open through the Firth Lake State Ice Age Trail Area and the Chippewa County Forest, to approximately the location marked CH14 on the Atlas map (Waypoint 14), so hiking around the lake and beyond is still available, including the Firth Lake boardwalk area. It is just not possible right now to continue all the way through to Hwy CC.

The beginning of the gun deer season is a good time to avoid the trail, and happily the annual Fall Outdoor Expo in Minneapolis coincides precisely with opening weekend. Ice Age Trail Alliance participates with an exhibit every year, and our chapter staffs the event on Sunday, Nov. 18. If you’d like to be part of the “show team”, please let us know.

Hunting Season and the Ice Age Trail

The annual gun deer season (Saturday, Nov. 17 through Sunday, Nov. 25) is probably not the best time for hiking on the trail, but if you absolutely must, here are some things to keep in mind:

1. Don’t hike where the trail crosses private land (principally the detoured area west of Hwy CC).